Safety connection for power transmission



March 17, 1931. C, E NELSQN 1,796,803

SAFETY CONNECTION FOR POWER TRANSMISSION Filed May 19, 1928 1 /Z 4 /3---4---11/25 /5 f I www Patented Mar. 17, 1931 CHARLES EDWIN NELSON, 01T' CHICAGO, ILLNE, .fx- SEIG'TRT vl/"ESTEBAN ELECTRC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW? YRK, hl. Y.,

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.il COREOEft ION O25. NEW YORK SAFETY CONN ECTEON POWER TRANMESSION Application filed May 19, 1928. Serial No. 279,034.

This invention relates generally to a safety Vconnection `for power' transmission and more particularly to a safety connection for power driven shafts disposed in alignment.

In connection with power driven shafts it is often desirable to have a safety connection interposed between the driving and driven shafts which will release the driven shaft in case it encounters some obstruction or` other abnormal load.

An object of this invention is to provide a safety driving connection which may be quickly and conveniently restored upon becoming ineffective due to an abnormally loaded driven shaft.

In accordance with the general features of the invention there are provided abutting flanges longitudinally adjustable on adjacent ends of the shafts, transverse peripheral grooves being provided in the flanges for receiving shear pins which are held in position by means of a spring collar surrounding the periphery of the flanges. The spring collar serves as a means for permitting quick replacement of the pins when sheared and the connection may be readily adjusted for different loads by changing the number or size of the pins.

A clear understanding of the invention may be had from the-following detailed description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein,

F ig. l is a side elevation of the safety connection, embodying the invention7 and Fig. 2 is a crosssectional view thereof taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawings in detail in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, there are disclosed aligned shafts l0 and ll, either of which may be the driving shaft, and secured to the adjacent ends of the shafts are two cylindrical hubs l2 and 13 provided with abutting flanges lland l5. Keys 20 and 2l and screws 22 and 23 co-operating therewith respectively secure the hubs to the shafts and permit longitudinal adjustment thereon. A plurality of corresponding transverse peripheral grooves 24 and 25 are provided in the flanges la and l5 for receiving shear pins 30 which are of such a size and possess such a shearing strength as to become sheared at some predetermined torque occurring when an obstruction or pre determined load is encountered by the apparatus operated by the driven shaft. The shear pins 30 may be circular or rectangular in cross-section but are prefcralfily of substantially the saine width on the grooves se that they will remain placed in the grooves while the ifety connection is being assembled and will prevent any rotative movement of one flange with respect to the other flange, although the thickness of thc pins, in the event that they are rectangular, may be permitted to be less than the depth of the grooves. The pins 8O are preferably composed of brass because of its low shearing resistance, and the number of pins used may be varied to correspond to the torque to be encountered in the operation of the safety connection.

Small circumferential ridges 3l and 32 are provided on the flanges lland lo, respectively, forming a peripheral groove 3G, and a spring collar 33, possessing tips Sel as an aid in removal thereof, is litted within the groove 3G for retaining the shear pins 30 in operative position.

lVhen the pins 30 become sheared due to some obstruction to the driven shaft causing an excessive torque therein the safety connection may be quickly and conveniently restored for operation by removing the spring collar 33 and replacing the sheared pins with new ones. The alignment of the correspondinflf pin retaining grooves 2li and 25 may be readily accomplis-shed as they are exposed to view on the peripheries of the flanges. The pins preferably being of substantially the same size as the grooves, as before stated, fric'lionallv hold themselves therein until the collar 33 is replaced for operation. Another method of replacing the sheared pins consists in forcing the spring collar 33 around the` perpheral groove 36 to bring the space between the tips Sel-434: of the collar 33 over a pin, when the pin may be removed and a new one inserted.

'The invention is particularly useful in connection With material forming apparatus?v of the forming roll type such as disclosed in the copending application of Charles Nelson et al. Serial No. 197,651 filed June 9, 1927. Machines of this type are capable of extremely laroe outputand therefore a ydelay in restoring the driving connection upon its being broken due to such causes as a jamming of the rapidly fe1 parts or a similar obstruction, results in a correspondingly great loss of output. lt is an important Vfeature of this invention that driving connection disclosed is sensitive to vpredeteunined overloads and when the con- 'n a very be qui lt is, i inve tion mission, aligned shafts provided with endv flanges in abutting relation and having cerresponding transverse peripheral grooves, members ada Jted to be placed in said grooves, and meansy coaxial with the shafts and resiliently engaging the members Yfor preventing accidental displaceinent thereof. 2. in a safety connection for povver trans-` mission, aligned shafts provided with end flanges in abutting relation and having corresponding transverse peripheral grooves, members adapted to be vsheared at a predetermined stressplaced Within the grooves, and a resilient member engaging the peripheries of the flanges for retaining the members in the grooves.

3. ln a safety connection for power transmission, aligned shafts provided with end flanges in abutting relation and having cor responding Atransverse peripheral Y grooves, members adapted to be Vsheared vat a predetermined stress placed Within the grooves, circumferential ridges extending from the end flanges to provide a peripheral groove, and a retaining spring collar litting Within' the peripheral groove for securing the shearing members in Athe aforementioned transverse grooves. Y

d. ln a safety connection for power transmission, aligned shafts provided With end flanges in abutting relation and having cor;

responding transverse peripheral grooves, pins of uniform diameter frictionally fitting Within the grooves, circumferential ridges extending from the end flanges to provide a peripheral groove, and a resilient collar slid- L' iro)` element dis able over the flanges and tting Within the peripheral groove for retaining the pins Within the aforementioned transverse grooves.

5. ln a safety connection for power 'transinission, driving and driven shafts disposed in axial alignment and providedv with end flanges in abutting relationship, said flanges having corresponding transverse p y sha-fits compi i ted to be sheared upon a predetermined iving torque, and a readily removable reivining member coaxial With the shafts and ally engaging the driving element for venting accidental displacementV and per- LAng readily replacement of the driving element.

CHARLES EBWI NELSON.

pheralv slots, means operatively interconnecting the f for preventing accidental displace-V ninent and provided with end s oi uively nterconnecting tiie comprising reaoily replaceabledrivosed Within the slots and 5 Cit 

